Spring spreader



June E2, 1%23. HASEA-ZZ G. L. E. KLINGBEIL SPRING SPREADER Filed Sept. 7, 1922 Patented June 12, 1923.

hill? STATS idas GOTTLIEB L. E. KLINGBEIL, OMAHA, NEBRASKA.

Application filed September 7, 3.922.

T 0 all whom it may concern Be it known that I, Gor'rmnn L. E. KLING- BEIL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Omaha, in the county of Douglas and vState of Nebraska, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Spring Spreaders, of which the following is a specilication. y

This invention relates to spring spreaders and it has for its object to provide an improved device of this character adapted to separate the leaves of vehicle springs and particularly the leaves of automobile springs and to hold such leaves in separated condition as long as may be desired and without the necessity of the user maintaining a hold upon the spring spreading device in order to keep the leaves separated. This leaves the hands of the user free to work upon the springs whether the work to be done-consists of lubrication, repair or otherwise.

In my copending application Serial Number 586,776, filed on the 7th day of September, 1922, I have shown a spring spreader embodying the above named characteristics. The present application is devoted particularly to the protection of a spring spreader adapted to act upon springs which overlie some other part, such, for example, as an axle. In some present well known and widely used makes of automobiles, the springs are disposed transversely of the vehicle and lie above the axleand it is an object of the present invention to provide a. spring spreader the spring engaging part of which extends beyond the body of the structure in such manner that it may efhciently engage and spread the leaves of springs which overlie some other part.

Further objects and advantagesof the invention will be set forth in the detailed de scription which now follows.

In the accompanying drawing:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a spring spreader constructed in accordance with the invention;

Fig. 2 is an end elevation of one of the jaws; and

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary perspective view illustrating one of the wedges and the bolt upon which it is mounted.

Like numerals designate corresponding parts in all of the figures of the drawing.

In the drawing 5 designates a bearing block having the upstanding portions 6 at the opposite ends thereof in which the trun SPRING SPREADER.

Serial No. 586,775.

nions 7 of a tilting block 8 areijournaled. i

The lower ends of standards 9 and 10 are pivotally connected to the tilting block 8 at ll and 12. The tilting block 8 carries bearing extensions 13, only one of which is shown, and within "which a transverse shaft 14 isjournaled. This shaft'has an angular head 15 adapted to be engaged by any suitably shaped tool and turned, and said shaft carries a crank 16. A link- 17 is pivotally' connected at 18 with the crank and the upper end of said link is pivotally connected at 19 with toggle arms 20 and 21. The outer ends of these toggle arms are, in turn, pivotally connected at 22 and 23 with the standards 9 the link 17 is forked and the toggle arms 20 and 21 lie within said forked portion. l/Vhen the crank 16 is moved to thrust the link-17 upwardly the toggle arms are thrown to an angle with respect to eachother and the standards 9 and 10 are caused to move toward each other. Upon the other hand when the crank 16 is turned in such direction as to draw the link 17 downwardly, the toggle and 10, respectively. The upper portion of arms are drawn into alignment with each other and the standards 9 and 10 are thrust very forcibly apart and if this downward movement of the link 17 be continued until the toggle arms 20 and 21 move toslightly standards '9 and 10 will remain in the position to which they have been moved without the necessity of further attention'upon the part of the user. At about the time the toggle arms 20 and 21 reach the past center po sition a stop becomes effective to prevent these arms from moving further. This stop may be arranged at any desired point but for purposes of illustration I have shown a pin 24 disposed in position to limit the downward movement of the crank 16. However, it is to be understood that any desired form of stop may be used. The standard 9 is provided with a horizontal extension 9 which projects beyond the standard 10 and this, in effect, crosses the standards with respect to each other so that movement apart of the body portions of the standards results in movement toward each other of the tops 9 and 10 of said standards. These top portions of the standards are bifurcated or vertically slotted, as indicatedat 25, for the reception of interchangeable wedge assemblies indicated as a whole at 26. The 're'asonfor making these wedge assemblies interchange past center position, it will beseen that the able is thatautomobile springs vary in thicknessand width. Thus, in order to take care bears between a collar 31 and plate 32,

. portion vided with-a rounded upper tace 35 which engagesthe lowermost of the wedges and in the grooves between .'.the springs to be.

of the plate 33 and portion: 25 or springs 26. and 36 permit the bolts and wedge assembly, asza whole with the exception of :plate 32, to about an initialor coarse adjustment of the iwedges with respect to the leaves of the "'springathe finer and accurate engagement brought about automatically as the proper points 29 to.find entrance between the several leaves of of all typesand makes of cars that may come to garages, the device must beso arranged that the proper wedge assembly may be quickly slipped into v The wedge assemblies consist of bolts 27 provided with handle carrying heads 28 by lace as re uired.

which they be manipulated. These bolts pass througha plurality of wedge elements 29 which have elongated openings through them extending longitudinally of said wedges and. by virtue of which the several wedges are permitted to tip slightly in finding a seating in tho-grooves. between the several leaves of a spring. A spring sai plate resting upon the upperiend of the por- -tion 9 or 95. according'to which of the standards the particular assembly is mounted upon. A plate .33 engages a threaded lower er or the bolt and this plate is profacilitates the tipping movement of the wedges intseeking their proper position of rest with their'pointed ends 29?,engaged the several leaves of spread. A. spring 36 is preferably disposed between the under side the bottom of the slotted the standard. Thus the be thrust downward in bringing being wedges individually seat! themselves in position under the tendency of the the springs.

' .By virtue of the self locking arrangement provided by the toggle mechanism the spring will be held in its spread condition while being lubricated or otherwise worked uponnecessity of the operhold upon the turning is imparted p and I this without the ator maintaining his instrument by which movement to; the crank 16.

- Therearward thrust of the wedge elei ments 29 with respect to the portions 9*, 10

' "of the standards-is taken by shoulders 29 lieves the :bolts 27 of this rearward thrust formed upon saidwedge elements. This reand'leaves as the sole dutyotsaid bolts the task of maintaining the several elements in -assembled'condi'tion so that they may be entry standarda readily slipped into place as. a unit when desired. 1 To the bolts are reduced, asindicated at 3 7 for into corresponding openings 38 of the "transverse shaft, a

this end the lower portions of 1 ss r22 It is to be understood that the inventionis not limited to the precise construction set forth but that it includes within its purview whatever changes fairly comewithin either the terms or the spirit of the appended claims. I

Having thus described my invention what 1 claim is: I

1. A spring spreader comprising a pair oi standards, a base to which the lower ends 01. said standards are ivoted and by which said standards are held upright, mechanism for moving said standards toward and from each other, one or" said standards carrying an extension which extends across the otheroi said standards, and spring-engaging wedges upon the upper ends of said standards.

2. A structure as recited in claim 1, where in the mechanism for moving the standards toward and; from each other comprises pivoted elements adapted to be moved to past center position in the movement of the standards toward each other to thereby automatically lock the standards inthe posit on to which they are moved.

3. A spring spreadercomprising a .pair. of standards, a toggle mechanism adapted to be moved to past center position for moving the standards toward each otheryone of said standards carrying an extension which exg tends beyond the other of said standards to, in

effect, cross said standards, and a plurality of I p spring-engaging wedge elements carried by the upper end of each of said standards.

4. A structure as recitedin claimB, wherein the spring-engaging wedge elementsfare bodily removable and replaceable as units.

5. Astructure as reclted in claim 3, in

combination with a supportingbase and a H tilting block carried by said s'upportingjbase and upon which said'standards are pivotally mounted. I I v.

6. A device oi the character described, comprising a supporting hase,'a tilting block carried thereby, a transverse shaft mounted. in said tilting block, a crank carried by said link pivotally connected to said crank, toggle links pivotally conios nected with the first-named link, standards 

